Chapter 18

After Xu Ai decided to start a children’s clothing brand, she became even busier. However, she was able to incorporate a bit of space for children into her work. Sometimes, Nuo Nuo would accompany her mother to take beautiful photos, so she didn’t need to stay home most of the time.

Nuo Nuo also didn’t go to work with her dad as much, so the toys in Sheng Zexi’s office were left idle.

Seeing that Nuo Nuo hadn’t come in for a while, the assistant asked Sheng Zexi, “Since the young lady hasn’t been around lately, should we send her things back?”

Sheng Zexi’s office was filled with several children’s items. Recently, whenever clients came in, they would often ask, “Why does President Sheng’s office look so cute now?”

Sheng Zexi didn’t feel embarrassed and smiled as he explained, “These are my daughter’s things.”

No one dared to touch Nuo Nuo’s items in the office, and Sheng Zexi wasn’t sure when she would come back. Although he could buy more items if needed, it would take some time, so he said, “Just leave them where they are, don’t worry about it.”

The assistant didn’t bother with it since it was the president’s office, not his. After all, it was his boss who might get teased by clients, not him.

However, the children’s toys did look quite fun, and sometimes the assistant found himself wanting to play with them.

After answering the assistant, Sheng Zexi continued with his work.

Meanwhile, at home, Xu Ai was tidying up things, preparing to take her child back home.

Today was her grandfather’s birthday, so she needed to go back to the old house with her parents to celebrate the elderly man’s eightieth birthday.

While picking out clothes for her daughter, Xu Ai was a bit conflicted, unsure whether to dress Nuo Nuo in pink or blue.

Watching her mother struggle for so long, Nuo Nuo felt a bit impatient. After waiting for a while, she finally said, “Mommy, I think the blue one looks better. Let’s go with blue!”

She mainly liked it because it had shiny sequins on it.

Since her daughter had a good eye, Xu Ai happily decided on the blue outfit.

After styling Nuo Nuo’s hair beautifully, Xu Ai took her lovely little girl out.

By the time they arrived at Grandpa Xu’s house, an hour had passed. On the way, Xu Ai had stopped at a supermarket to buy some things.

There were quite a few people gathered today—her uncle’s family, her cousin and her husband with their child, as well as Xu Ai’s parents and her older sister.

Everyone was laughing and chatting in the living room. However, when they saw that Xu Ai had only brought Nuo Nuo back, the laughter suddenly stopped.

Xu Ai’s mother, Qin Yun, looked somewhat unhappy and asked, “Why isn’t Zexi back?”

That was a good question, but Xu Ai hoped they wouldn’t ask any further.

She had someone set aside the supplements for her grandfather and lazily shrugged, saying, “He’s really busy.”

At this moment, Xu Yu, her cousin, who was trying to feed her son, couldn’t help but mockingly say, “No matter how busy he is, he should still come to Grandpa’s birthday. Does he look down on our family?”

Just then, Xu Yu’s husband, Lin Xuan, came down from upstairs. He was a successful “phoenix man,” born in the countryside and climbed his way up to his current position through hard work. He held an important position in the Xu family’s company and was highly valued by Xu Yu’s parents. They often praised their son-in-law as a potential asset. Besides that, Lin Xuan was very considerate towards Xu Yu.

Xu Ai’s older sister, Xu Ying, was exceptionally clear-headed. She was leisurely sitting on the sofa, cracking sunflower seeds, and casually crossed her legs. “What kind of family is the Xu family, and what kind of family is the Sheng family? If you want others to respect you, you might want to look in the mirror. Do they really think that by marrying their daughter into the Sheng family, the whole family will soar to success?”

Xu Ying looked somewhat similar to Xu Ai, but her personality was a bit colder. She had permed wavy hair and was a staunch non-marriage advocate.

Although this aunt had a cold demeanor, Nuo Nuo still liked her very much. As soon as she saw her aunt, she climbed onto her lap and said, “Auntie, Daddy must not have come on purpose. He might be very busy today but will probably come later.”

Xu Ying was somewhat aware of her sister’s current situation. Although Sheng Zexi had returned, their relationship could be described as mediocre. Nuo Nuo was still just a child, and she didn’t take it too seriously. She took something out of her pocket and teased the little girl, “Come on, Nuo Nuo, guess what Auntie has in her hand. If you guess it right, Auntie will give it to you.”

Nuo Nuo studied her aunt’s hand, looking curious. “Is it candy?”

Xu Ying opened her hand to reveal a beautiful diamond.

Xu Yu’s eyes turned red with jealousy. Xu Ying had been doing quite well in her career over the past two years and often bought nice things for Nuo Nuo. As for Xu Yu, her brother only asked her for money, and now, on Grandpa’s birthday, he had said he had something to do and hadn’t come back yet.

They both had siblings, so why was Xu Ai so fortunate?

A diamond?

Nuo Nuo was still young and didn’t understand the value of a diamond, but it was shiny and she loved it. She immediately thanked her aunt, “Thank you, Auntie!”

Xu Yu quickly added, “Diamonds aren’t even worth much these days.”

Xu Ying couldn’t hold back her disdain and replied, “Your wedding ring isn’t even as big as this one.”

Xu Yu’s face turned green at that remark.

Lin Xuan, standing nearby, didn’t look too pleased either. He comforted his wife by wrapping an arm around her shoulders, “If you want one, I’ll buy it for you later.”

Xu Yu was easy to appease. As soon as her husband reassured her, she sweetly replied, “It’s fine, I don’t need it. Nan Nan is growing up, and there are plenty of things we need to spend money on. Our family has a child, we can’t compare to older sisters.”

Xu Ying was about to turn thirty and the fact that she didn’t want to marry was a concern for the family. Xu Ai noticed her mother’s face darkening.

She quickly took Nuo Nuo upstairs, but ended up getting scolded.

Xu Ying had a bad temper. The last time Qin Yun tried to talk to her, she slammed the door and left, so Qin Yun was now hesitant to say anything to her.

If she couldn’t scold her sister, the wrath would land on Xu Ai. Xu Ai simply let her mother finish and then brought her a glass of water, smiling as she said, “Mom, calm down. It won’t help to worry. I’m definitely getting a divorce from Sheng Zexi. Even if I say it a hundred times and you don’t believe it, it doesn’t matter.”

The last time Xu Ai came home, she had said the same thing, but her family still held expectations for her marriage with Sheng Zexi.

Sheng Zexi had been back for a while, and Qin Yun thought that since they were living under the same roof, they should be able to communicate well now that he was back. However, it was still the same.

Hearing Xu Ai say this, Qin Yun felt completely disappointed and helpless. “Fine, do as you wish.”

After Xu Ai spoke with her mother, she went outside and saw Xu Ying holding Nuo Nuo. Xu Ying asked when she saw her sister come out, “So, how was it? Did you get scolded to death by the family matriarch?”

Xu Ai shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”

“I clarified things with her, so she probably believed me.”

Xu Ying shook her head. “You two really don’t have any room for reconciliation.”

Regardless, Xu Ying still hoped her sister would be happy.

Xu Ai smiled, “What’s there to reconcile? Let it be.”

Nuo Nuo felt like her mommy and aunt were discussing her parents, so she immediately chimed in, “Daddy will definitely come later.”

Unfortunately, the adults didn’t pay her any attention and thought she was just babbling.

Xu Ai didn’t take it to heart either. Right now, she was thinking about something else.

The family had been overly reliant on Lin Xuan lately, including their parents. However, Lin Xuan was actually the one who had ultimately led to the family’s bankruptcy. If he hadn’t sold the company’s secrets, causing their new product to be preemptively snatched from the market and later copied, it wouldn’t have come to this.

Xu Ying had previously worked in the family business and had more experience with it than Xu Ai. Xu Ai’s expression turned serious as she said, “Sister, I need to talk to you.”

Sheng Zexi had quite a bit of work today, so he returned home after dark. But upon arriving home, he found the place empty.

After a while, he remembered what day it was.

It seemed to be Grandpa Xu’s birthday. Last year, due to work commitments, he had only sent a gift and hadn’t shown up.

Since Grandpa Xu had always been low-key, he generally wouldn’t hold extravagant celebrations for occasions like his birthday.

Today, Xu Ai hadn’t reminded Sheng Zexi either.

Sheng Zexi furrowed his brow and, after notifying someone to buy a gift for Grandpa Xu, he headed straight to the Xu family.

Before dinner, Xu Ai’s cousin, Xu Cheng, arrived fashionably late, sporting brightly dyed hair typical of a high school student.

Grandpa Xu was somewhat displeased and scolded his grandson, “You’re only just arriving now. Do you even consider me?”

Xu Cheng nonchalantly glanced at Xu Ai and replied, “Grandpa, at least I made it. Unlike someone’s husband, who won’t even bother to show up.”

Grandpa Xu was fond of Xu Ai, and upon hearing his grandson’s words, he immediately defended her, saying, “That’s your brother-in-law. He’s busy, so what if he doesn’t come? Do you think it’s like you, lounging around all day?”

Xu Yu immediately turned to Grandpa Xu and said, “But why does my brother-in-law show up every time he has business? Grandpa, there are some families we just can’t compete with. You’re getting old; don’t daydream. They just look down on us.”

Lin Xuan, noticing Xu Yu had gone too far, couldn’t help but speak up, gently reprimanding him, “Alright, Xu Yu, let’s eat. My work can’t compare to Mr. Sheng’s.”

He spoke kindly on the surface, but inwardly, he cast his gaze down, secretly concealing his own smugness.

At that moment, the sound of a car engine suddenly came from the entrance.

Nuo Nuo, who had been diligently eating, immediately jumped down from her chair when she heard the car noise and rushed to the door, her face lit up with excitement. “I told you, Daddy would definitely come! Hmph, you all didn’t believe me!”

She quickly dashed outside.

The little one huffed proudly before racing out.

Xu Yu could hardly believe it, but her expression turned a bit sour as she asked, “Is Sheng Zexi really here?”

Lin Xuan took his wife’s hand, his expression inscrutable, and said, “Let’s go out and see.”

Before they could reach the door, Sheng Zexi had already entered, holding Nuo Nuo.

Xu Yu glanced at her husband beside her. Sheng Zexi, in a well-tailored suit, was tall and handsome, far surpassing her husband in appearance.

Her expression soured even further.

Xu Ai’s parents looked significantly brighter when Sheng Zexi arrived. Even Grandpa Xu welcomed him warmly.

Sheng Zexi knew he had arrived late and politely apologized, “Grandpa, I was busy with work today and forgot it was your birthday. I’m sorry.”

The fact that Sheng Zexi had come made Grandpa Xu incredibly happy. He wouldn’t hold any grudges against him. The old man was visibly excited, but faced with such a distinguished grandson-in-law, he wasn’t quite sure what to say, so he had someone set another pair of chopsticks for him.

As they ate, Nuo Nuo returned to her seat and complained while munching, “Daddy, I told them you would come! They didn’t believe me!”

The little girl’s cheeks were stuffed with rice as she spoke. Sheng Zexi took a tissue and wiped her mouth before saying, “Daddy was busy and forgot. Next time, remind me, okay?”

Nuo Nuo readily agreed.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yun realized her daughter hadn’t informed Sheng Zexi, so she shot Xu Ai a fierce glare.

Xu Ai quickly turned her face away, pretending not to see.

If Sheng Zexi wanted to, he could be quite chatty. During dinner, he could easily bring up topics that interested the older generation, making Grandpa Xu very happy in no time.

Though Xu Ai didn’t know why he suddenly wanted to come, seeing her relatives’ expressions change as they tried to interject but failed to do so, she felt quite pleased.